'Enchanting Bali' and boarding pass aim to attract guests<\/p>\n
Rita A.Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar<\/p>\n
It was a rainy April morning, unusual weather for normally sunny
\nBali. This was the result of minor cyclone Juliet, which swept
\nthrough East Indonesian waters from April 7 through to April 10.<\/p>\n
That did not prevent journalists and travel writers from
\nSingapore and the Philippines from enjoying a wild rafting
\nadventure on the Ayung River in Ubud, north of Denpasar.<\/p>\n
\"That was probably one of the most compelling programs I've
\nexperienced on the island,\" exclaimed Anwar Hashim, senior editor
\nof Today in Singapore.<\/p>\n
\"I always think that we can lie on white sand under the hot
\nsun, but it was rain for the last three days I was here,\" added
\nTherese Jamora-Garceau from The Star, the Philippines.<\/p>\n
The three-day program included a day at Waterbom park, staying
\nat Melia Bali Villas and Spa Resort in Nusa Dua, shopping and
\ndining in Bali's most prestigious establishments in Nusa Dua and
\nUbud and of course, indulging oneself at Martha Tilaar Spa. What
\na holiday!<\/p>\n
This is part of Singapore Airlines' (SIA's) new boarding pass
\nprogram to provide passengers flying Singapore to Denpasar or
\nother routes significant discounts, which range from 15 percent
\nto 50 percent off the published rates of the company's business
\npartners in Bali.<\/p>\n
\"Since January, we launched the boarding pass program to
\nenable passengers to enjoy their holiday in Bali. It is also part
\nof our effort to promote Bali as a hot destination for
\nSingaporeans and other nationalities flying with us,\" explained
\nmanager of Singapore Airlines' Bali office Andrew HW Tan.<\/p>\n
He added that after SARS and the Asian tsunami it was quite
\ndifficult to attract visitors to Bali. \"You know that Bali and
\nBanda Aceh are thousands of miles apart, but overseas visitors
\nknow only that Bali is part of Indonesia, which was stricken by
\nthe disaster.<\/p>\n
\"The program aims to create a \"buzz\" about Bali. We want
\npeople to come again to Bali and to experience a safe and
\nmemorable holiday and business on the island,\" Andrew said,
\nadding that SIA has direct Denpasar to Singapore flights three
\ntimes a day.<\/p>\n
The program's main target is passengers flying both short-haul
\n(within southeast Asia and Asia) and long-haul, especially from
\nEurope and the United States, he noted.<\/p>\n
\"We are also targeting Singaporeans,\" added Febe Indah of SIA.
\nBefore the Oct.12, 2002 Bali bombings, many Singaporean thought
\nthat Bali was an expensive holiday destination.<\/p>\n
\"People may have skipped Bali for fear of having to spend too
\nmuch money. As a result, they mostly went to resorts in Thailand
\nand neighboring Malaysia. Bali was never on their list,\" Febe
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Bali, she said, offers competitive prices.\" With the boarding
\npass program (valid for six days), passengers can get a lot of
\ndiscounts and other benefits,\" she noted.<\/p>\n
In addition to its boarding pass program, SIA has also
\nrelaunched its \"Enchanting Bali\" program, which is valid during
\nthe low season from February to June.<\/p>\n
\"Right after the Bali bombings, we ran \"Enchanting Bali\" for
\nseveral months to lure visitors back to Bali. Now, we've
\nrelaunched the program to remind our agents worldwide that Bali
\nis worth visiting,\" Andrew said.<\/p>\n
He continued that the company had invited major travel agents
\nfrom Germany, Hungary and other countries to visit Bali.<\/p>\n
\"There are many good programs but ours are a sincere attempt
\nto improve Bali's tourism business,\" Andrew said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/enchanting-bali-and-boarding-pass-aim-to-attract-guests-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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